Crime boss jailed after years on the run in Brazil

A crime boss who went on the run for 14 years in Brazil has been jailed after his multi-million-pound operation was brought down by police.

Mark Robert Witchell, 61, from Nantwich, Cheshire, was sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Tuesday.

He admitted a number of offences relating to luxury car thefts and online drug dealing, with the latter netting an estimated income of £3.7m.

His offending was described by Staffordshire Police as a "highly sophisticated criminal operation".

Between 2003 and 2006, Witchell organised car thefts in Staffordshire totalling more than £280,000, using hire purchase agreements to take high-value vehicles including Mercedes and Porsche models.

Officers found three of the vehicles had been transferred to Spain, and in 2011 charged Witchell but he failed to appear for committal and later fled to Brazil.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) then found Witchell had been running an online drugs and medicine supply chain between 2013 and 2015.

He ordered three people in the UK to sell the drugs, which generated about £3.7m in profits.

The money was transferred to Witchell's accounts in Mauritius, under the company Next Day Pharmacy Solutions.

He was arrested at Holyhead Port in August 2025.

Police said the three other people had also been sentenced for their roles in selling the drugs in March 2023.

Witchell went on to admit five counts of theft, three counts of transferring/removing criminal property, plus money laundering, supplying Class B and Class C drugs, illegally selling prescription-only medicines, and selling unauthorised medicines.

"This was a highly sophisticated criminal operation which generated millions of pounds by profiting from other people's vulnerability and belongings," said Det Con Gareth Reynolds.

"While Witchell may have spent 14 years on the run, it is through our evidence and the action of everyone involved in this investigation which has ensured that he was not able to escape his offending, no matter how hard he tried."

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